Bill Walsh (football coach)
Encyclopedia
William Ernest "Bill" Walsh (November 30, 1931 – July 30, 2007) was a head coach for the San Francisco 49ers
and Stanford Cardinal football team
, during which time he popularized the West Coast offense
.
Walsh went 102–63–1 with the 49ers, winning ten of his 14 postseason games along with six division titles, three NFC Championship
titles, and three Super Bowls. He was named the NFL's Coach of the Year in 1981 and 1984. In 1993, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
.
, Walsh started his career in the San Francisco Bay Area
as a running back for Hayward High School
in Hayward
.
Walsh attended College of San Mateo
for two years as a quarterback
. He then transferred to San José State University
, where he played as a tight end
and a defensive end
. He also participated in intercollegiate boxing
. Walsh graduated from San Jose State with a bachelor's degree
in physical education
in 1955. He served under Bob Bronzan as a graduate assistant coach on the Spartans
football coaching staff and graduated with a master's degree
in physical education from San Jose State in 1959. His master's thesis
was entitled Flank Formation Football -- Stress:: Defense. Thesis 796.W228f
Following graduation, Walsh coached at Washington High School
in Fremont
, leading the football and swim teams.
Walsh was coaching in Fremont when he interviewed for an assistant coaching position with Marv Levy
, who had just been hired as the head coach at the University of California, Berkeley
.
"I was very impressed, individually, by his knowledge, by his intelligence, by his personality and hired him," Levy said.
After Cal, he did a stint at Stanford
as an assistant coach, before beginning his pro coaching career.
's Oakland Raiders
. As a Raider assistant, Walsh was trained in the vertical passing offense favored by Al Davis
, putting Walsh in Davis' mentor Sid Gillman's coaching tree.
In 1968, Walsh moved to the AFL expansion Cincinnati Bengals, joining the staff of legendary coach Paul Brown
. It was there that Walsh developed the philosophy now known as the "West Coast Offense", as a matter of necessity. Cincinnati's new quarterback
, Virgil Carter
, was known for his great mobility and accuracy but lacked a strong arm necessary to throw deep passes. Thus, Walsh modified the vertical passing scheme he had learned during his time with the Raiders, designing a horizontal passing system that relied on quick, short throws - often spreading the ball across the entire width of the field. The new offense was much better suited to Carter's physical abilities; he led the league in pass completion percentage in 1971.
Walsh spent eight seasons as an assistant with the Bengals. Ken Anderson eventually replaced Carter as starting QB, and together with star wide receiver
Isaac Curtis
, produced a consistent, effective offensive attack.
When Brown retired as head coach following the 1975
season and appointed Bill "Tiger" Johnson as his successor, Walsh resigned and served as an assistant coach for Tommy Prothro
with the San Diego Chargers
in 1976
. In a 2006 interview, Walsh claimed that during his tenure with the Bengals, Brown "worked against my candidacy" to be a head coach anywhere in the league. "All the way through I had opportunities, and I never knew about them," Walsh said. "And then when I left him, he called whoever he thought was necessary to keep me out of the NFL."
In 1977, Walsh was hired as the head coach at Stanford
where he stayed for two seasons. His two Stanford teams went 9–3 in 1977 with a win in the Sun Bowl
, and 8–4 in 1978 with a win in the Bluebonnet Bowl
; his notable players at Stanford included quarterbacks Guy Benjamin
and Steve Dils
, wide receivers James Lofton
and Ken Margerum
, and running back Darrin Nelson
. Walsh was the Pac-8 Conference Coach of the Year in 1977.
In 1979
, Walsh was hired as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers
. The long-suffering 49ers went 2–14 in 1978
, the season before Walsh's arrival and repeated the same dismal record in his first season. Walsh doubted his abilities to turn around such a miserable situation—but earlier in 1979, Walsh drafted quarterback Joe Montana
from Notre Dame
in the third round.
Walsh turned over the starting job to Montana in 1980
, when the 49ers improved to 6–10. San Francisco won its first championship in 1981
, just two years after winning two games.
Under Walsh the 49ers won Super Bowl
championships in 1981
, 1984
and 1988
. Walsh served as 49ers head coach for ten years, and during his tenure he and his coaching staff perfected the style of play known popularly as the West Coast offense
. Walsh was nicknamed "The Genius" for both his innovative playcalling and design. Walsh would regularly script the first 10-15 plays to be run on offense before the start of each game.
In addition to drafting Joe Montana
, Walsh drafted Ronnie Lott
, Charles Haley
, and Jerry Rice
. He also traded a 2nd and 4th round pick in the 1987 draft for Steve Young. His success with the 49ers was rewarded with his election to the Professional Football Hall of Fame
in 1993.
season saw Walsh lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl
championship; the team rose from the cellar to the top of the NFL in just two seasons. Four important wins during the 1981 season were two wins each over the Los Angeles Rams
and the Dallas Cowboys
. The Rams were only one year removed from a Super Bowl
appearance, and had dominated the series with the 49ers for nearly a decade. The 49ers' two wins over the Rams in 1981 marked the shift of dominance in favor of the 49ers that lasted until the late 1990s.
In 1981, the 49ers blew out the Cowboys in week 6 of the regular season. On Monday Night Football
that week, the 49ers' win was not included in the famous halftime highlights. Walsh felt that this was because the Cowboys were scheduled to play the Rams the next week in a rare Sunday night game and that showing the highlights of the 49ers' win would potentially hurt the game's ratings. However, Walsh used this as a motivating factor for his team, who felt they were disrespected.
The 49ers faced the Cowboys again that same season in the NFC
title game. The game was very close, and in the fourth quarter Walsh called a series of running plays as the 49ers marched down the field against the Cowboys prevent defense, which had been expecting the 49ers to mainly pass. The 49ers came from behind to win the game on Dwight Clark's memorable TD reception (The Catch
), propelling Walsh to his first Super Bowl. Walsh and the 49ers defeated Cincinnati
in the Super Bowl
, which was played in Pontiac, Michigan
. Walsh would later write that the 49ers' two wins over the Rams showed a shift of power in their division, while the wins over the Cowboys showed a shift of power in the conference.
, Mike Holmgren
, Mike Shanahan
, Ray Rhodes
, and Dennis Green
. These coaches in turn have their own disciples who have utilized Walsh's West Coast system. Walsh was viewed as a strong advocate for African-American head coaches in the NFL and NCAA. Along with Rhodes and Green, Tyrone Willingham
became the head coach at Stanford, then later Notre Dame and Washington. One of Mike Shanahan's assistants, Karl Dorrell
went on to be the head coach at UCLA, and is now the Wide Receiver's coach for the Miami Dolphins under Head Coach Tony Sparano. Walsh directly helped propel Dennis Green into the NFL head coaching ranks by offering to take on the head coaching job at Stanford.
, shown below. Walsh, in turn, belonged to the coaching tree of American Football League
great and Hall of Fame coach Sid Gillman
of the AFL's Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers
.
After leaving the coaching ranks immediately following his team's victory in Super Bowl XXIII
, Walsh went to work as a broadcaster for NBC
(teaming with Dick Enberg
to form the lead broadcasting team while replacing Merlin Olsen
in the booth). Walsh returned to Stanford once again as head coach in 1992 (Bob Trumpy
subsequently replaced him on the NBC telecasts), leading the Cardinal to a 10-3 record and a Pacific-10 Conference co-championship. Stanford finished the season with an upset victory over Penn State in the Blockbuster Bowl on January 1, 1993 and a # 9 ranking in the final AP Poll
. In 1994, after consecutive losing seasons, Walsh left Stanford and retired from coaching.
Walsh would also return to the 49ers, serving as Vice President and General Manager from 1999
to 2001
and was a special consultant to the team for three years afterwards. In 2004, Walsh was appointed as special assistant to the athletic director at Stanford. In 2005, after then-athletic director Ted Leland stepped down to take a position at the University of the Pacific, Walsh was named interim athletic director. He also acted as a consultant for his alma mater San Jose State University
in their search for an Athletic Director and Head Football Coach in 2005.
Bill Walsh was also the author of three books, a motivational speaker, and taught classes at the Stanford Graduate School of Business
.
in 2004. In November 2006, he confirmed that he was undergoing treatment for the illness at the Stanford University Medical Center
.
. Following Walsh's death, the playing field at Candlestick Park
was renamed "Bill Walsh Field". Additionally, the regular San Jose State
versus Stanford football game was renamed the "Bill Walsh Legacy Game".
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and Stanford Cardinal football team
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
, during which time he popularized the West Coast offense
West Coast offense
In American football, "West Coast Offense" refers to two similar but distinct offensive-strategic-systems of play: the "Air Coryell" system; or more commonly the pass play system popularized by Bill Walsh...
.
Walsh went 102–63–1 with the 49ers, winning ten of his 14 postseason games along with six division titles, three NFC Championship
NFC Championship Game
The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the...
titles, and three Super Bowls. He was named the NFL's Coach of the Year in 1981 and 1984. In 1993, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
.
Early career
Born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Walsh started his career in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
as a running back for Hayward High School
Hayward High School
Hayward High School is a public high school in Hayward, California, one of four high schools in the city. It is one of the oldest high schools in Northern California. The official mascot for Hayward High is the "Farmer" which dates back to Hayward's period as an agricultural center...
in Hayward
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
.
Walsh attended College of San Mateo
College of San Mateo
College of San Mateo is a community college in San Mateo, California. It is part of the San Mateo County Community College District....
for two years as a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
. He then transferred to San José State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
, where he played as a tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
and a defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
. He also participated in intercollegiate boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. Walsh graduated from San Jose State with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
in 1955. He served under Bob Bronzan as a graduate assistant coach on the Spartans
San José State Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans is the name of the athletic teams representing San Jose State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Western Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division I level...
football coaching staff and graduated with a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in physical education from San Jose State in 1959. His master's thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
was entitled Flank Formation Football -- Stress:: Defense. Thesis 796.W228f
Following graduation, Walsh coached at Washington High School
Washington High School (Fremont, California)
Washington High School is one of the five Fremont, California, public high schools and was established in 1892. It is a part of the Fremont Unified School District.-History:...
in Fremont
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
, leading the football and swim teams.
Walsh was coaching in Fremont when he interviewed for an assistant coaching position with Marv Levy
Marv Levy
Marvin Daniel Levy is a former American and Canadian football coach, front office executive and author.He is a former professional football coach, in the CFL as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes , and in the NFL as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills , coaching the Bills...
, who had just been hired as the head coach at the University of California, Berkeley
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
.
"I was very impressed, individually, by his knowledge, by his intelligence, by his personality and hired him," Levy said.
After Cal, he did a stint at Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
as an assistant coach, before beginning his pro coaching career.
Professional football career
Walsh began his pro coaching career in 1966 as an assistant with the AFLAmerican Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. As a Raider assistant, Walsh was trained in the vertical passing offense favored by Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...
, putting Walsh in Davis' mentor Sid Gillman's coaching tree.
In 1968, Walsh moved to the AFL expansion Cincinnati Bengals, joining the staff of legendary coach Paul Brown
Paul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
. It was there that Walsh developed the philosophy now known as the "West Coast Offense", as a matter of necessity. Cincinnati's new quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, Virgil Carter
Virgil Carter
Virgil R. Carter is a former professional American football quarterback who played in the National Football League and the World Football League from 1967 through 1976. He was the first great quarterback from Brigham Young University.While at BYU Carter set six national, 19 conference, and 24...
, was known for his great mobility and accuracy but lacked a strong arm necessary to throw deep passes. Thus, Walsh modified the vertical passing scheme he had learned during his time with the Raiders, designing a horizontal passing system that relied on quick, short throws - often spreading the ball across the entire width of the field. The new offense was much better suited to Carter's physical abilities; he led the league in pass completion percentage in 1971.
Walsh spent eight seasons as an assistant with the Bengals. Ken Anderson eventually replaced Carter as starting QB, and together with star wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Isaac Curtis
Isaac Curtis
Isaac Fisher Curtis is a former professional American football wide receiver who played his entire National Football League career with the Cincinnati Bengals .-College career:...
, produced a consistent, effective offensive attack.
When Brown retired as head coach following the 1975
1975 NFL season
The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
season and appointed Bill "Tiger" Johnson as his successor, Walsh resigned and served as an assistant coach for Tommy Prothro
Tommy Prothro
James Thompson "Tommy" Prothro, Jr. was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Oregon State University from 1955 to 1964 and at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1965 to 1970, compiling a career college football record of 104–55–5...
with the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1976
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
. In a 2006 interview, Walsh claimed that during his tenure with the Bengals, Brown "worked against my candidacy" to be a head coach anywhere in the league. "All the way through I had opportunities, and I never knew about them," Walsh said. "And then when I left him, he called whoever he thought was necessary to keep me out of the NFL."
In 1977, Walsh was hired as the head coach at Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
where he stayed for two seasons. His two Stanford teams went 9–3 in 1977 with a win in the Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
, and 8–4 in 1978 with a win in the Bluebonnet Bowl
Bluebonnet Bowl
The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 through 1967, and again in 1985 and 1986. The game was...
; his notable players at Stanford included quarterbacks Guy Benjamin
Guy Benjamin
Guy Emory Benjamin is a retired American football quarterback who played six seasons in the National Football League.-College career:...
and Steve Dils
Steve Dils
Stephen Whitfield "Steve" Dils is a retired American football quarterback who played 10 seasons in the National Football League.-College career:...
, wide receivers James Lofton
James Lofton
James David Lofton is a former American football player and coach. He is a former American football coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers , Los Angeles Raiders , the Buffalo Bills...
and Ken Margerum
Ken Margerum
Kenneth Margerum is a retired American football player. Margerum has coached in several capacities at the college level, as head football coach at Menlo College , wide receivers coach at Stanford University and University of Hawaii, and through the 2009 season as an assistant coach for the San...
, and running back Darrin Nelson
Darrin Nelson
Darren Milo Nelson is a former professional American football player in the National Football League....
. Walsh was the Pac-8 Conference Coach of the Year in 1977.
In 1979
1979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
, Walsh was hired as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. The long-suffering 49ers went 2–14 in 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
, the season before Walsh's arrival and repeated the same dismal record in his first season. Walsh doubted his abilities to turn around such a miserable situation—but earlier in 1979, Walsh drafted quarterback Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
from Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in the third round.
Walsh turned over the starting job to Montana in 1980
1980 NFL season
The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
, when the 49ers improved to 6–10. San Francisco won its first championship in 1981
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
, just two years after winning two games.
Under Walsh the 49ers won Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
championships in 1981
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
, 1984
1984 NFL season
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana....
and 1988
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
. Walsh served as 49ers head coach for ten years, and during his tenure he and his coaching staff perfected the style of play known popularly as the West Coast offense
West Coast offense
In American football, "West Coast Offense" refers to two similar but distinct offensive-strategic-systems of play: the "Air Coryell" system; or more commonly the pass play system popularized by Bill Walsh...
. Walsh was nicknamed "The Genius" for both his innovative playcalling and design. Walsh would regularly script the first 10-15 plays to be run on offense before the start of each game.
In addition to drafting Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
, Walsh drafted Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
, Charles Haley
Charles Haley
Charles Lewis Haley is a former American football linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys . He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL Draft out of James Madison University...
, and Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
. He also traded a 2nd and 4th round pick in the 1987 draft for Steve Young. His success with the 49ers was rewarded with his election to the Professional Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
in 1993.
1981 championship
The 19811981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
season saw Walsh lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
championship; the team rose from the cellar to the top of the NFL in just two seasons. Four important wins during the 1981 season were two wins each over the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
and the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. The Rams were only one year removed from a Super Bowl
Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV was an American football game played on January 20, 1980 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1979 regular season...
appearance, and had dominated the series with the 49ers for nearly a decade. The 49ers' two wins over the Rams in 1981 marked the shift of dominance in favor of the 49ers that lasted until the late 1990s.
In 1981, the 49ers blew out the Cowboys in week 6 of the regular season. On Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
that week, the 49ers' win was not included in the famous halftime highlights. Walsh felt that this was because the Cowboys were scheduled to play the Rams the next week in a rare Sunday night game and that showing the highlights of the 49ers' win would potentially hurt the game's ratings. However, Walsh used this as a motivating factor for his team, who felt they were disrespected.
The 49ers faced the Cowboys again that same season in the NFC
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
title game. The game was very close, and in the fourth quarter Walsh called a series of running plays as the 49ers marched down the field against the Cowboys prevent defense, which had been expecting the 49ers to mainly pass. The 49ers came from behind to win the game on Dwight Clark's memorable TD reception (The Catch
The Catch (American football)
The Catch refers to the winning touchdown reception by Dwight Clark off a Joe Montana pass in the January 10, 1982, NFC Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers...
), propelling Walsh to his first Super Bowl. Walsh and the 49ers defeated Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
in the Super Bowl
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
, which was played in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
. Walsh would later write that the 49ers' two wins over the Rams showed a shift of power in their division, while the wins over the Cowboys showed a shift of power in the conference.
Prominent assistant coaches
Many of his assistant coaches went on to be head coaches, including George SeifertGeorge Seifert
George Seifert is a former NFL head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. Seifert joined the 49ers' coaching staff under Bill Walsh in 1980 as defensive backs coach and served as the team's defensive coordinator from 1983–1988.As a 49er assistant, his defenses finished...
, Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
, Mike Shanahan
Mike Shanahan
Michael Edward "Mike" Shanahan is the 28th and current head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Shanahan also holds the title of Vice President of Football Operations with the Redskins, giving him full control over player personnel with the team. Shanahan previously...
, Ray Rhodes
Ray Rhodes
Raymond Earl Rhodes is currently a defensive assistant for the Cleveland Browns. He is also the former American football head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. He is the former assistant defensive backs coach of the Houston Texans...
, and Dennis Green
Dennis Green
Dennis "Denny" Green is an American football head coach for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League...
. These coaches in turn have their own disciples who have utilized Walsh's West Coast system. Walsh was viewed as a strong advocate for African-American head coaches in the NFL and NCAA. Along with Rhodes and Green, Tyrone Willingham
Tyrone Willingham
Lionel Tyrone "Ty" Willingham is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Stanford University , the University of Notre Dame , and the University of Washington , compiling a career college football record of 76–88–1.-Early career:Willingham attended...
became the head coach at Stanford, then later Notre Dame and Washington. One of Mike Shanahan's assistants, Karl Dorrell
Karl Dorrell
Karl Dorrell is a football coach, currently an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the UCLA Bruins, the first African American head football coach in the school's history...
went on to be the head coach at UCLA, and is now the Wide Receiver's coach for the Miami Dolphins under Head Coach Tony Sparano. Walsh directly helped propel Dennis Green into the NFL head coaching ranks by offering to take on the head coaching job at Stanford.
Bill Walsh coaching tree
Many former and current NFL head coaches trace their lineage back to Bill Walsh on his coaching treeCoaching tree
A coaching tree is similar to a family tree except it shows the relationships of coaches instead of family members. There are several different ways to define a relationship between two coaches...
, shown below. Walsh, in turn, belonged to the coaching tree of American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
great and Hall of Fame coach Sid Gillman
Sid Gillman
Sidney "Sid" Gillman was an American football player, coach, executive, and innovator. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of scrimmage, was instrumental in...
of the AFL's Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Head coaching record
| Team | |Regular Season | SF 1979 San Francisco 49ers season The 1979 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 30th year with the National Football League. The season is noted for being O.J. Simpson’s final year and Joe Montana’s first season in the NFL, as well as the first year head coaching the 49ers for Bill Walsh.... |
1979 1979 NFL season The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams... |
2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 4th in NFC West | - | - | - | - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF 1980 San Francisco 49ers season The 1980 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 31st in the National Football League. This was both Bill Walsh's and Joe Montana's second season with the team. The 49ers looked to improve on their previous output of 2–14... |
1980 1980 NFL season The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws... |
6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3rd in NFC West | - | - | - | - | ||
| SF 1981 San Francisco 49ers season The San Francisco 49ers 1981 season was their 32nd season in the National Football League. The season was highlighted by their first Super Bowl victory. A big turning point for the franchise was the drafting of Ronnie Lott from the University of Southern California. Quarterback Joe Montana began... |
1981 1981 NFL season The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:... |
13 | 3 | 0 | .812 | 1st in NFC West | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl XVI Super Bowl XVI Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city... Champions. |
||
| SF 1982 San Francisco 49ers season The 1982 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 33rd in the league. The team was coming off a Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. However, 1982 was strike-shortened, and only nine games were played. This season was the only one in an 18 season streak in which the 49ers did not win at... |
1982 1982 NFL season The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule... |
3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 11th in NFC | - | - | - | - | ||
| SF 1983 San Francisco 49ers season The 1983 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 34th year with the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-NFC Divisional Playoff:* San Francisco 49ers 24, Detroit Lions 23... |
1983 1983 NFL season The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in NFC West | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... in NFC Championship Game NFL playoffs, 1983-84 The NFL playoffs following the 1983 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XVIII.Due to Christmas, the two wild card playoff games were played in a span of three days.... . |
||
| SF 1984 San Francisco 49ers season The 1984 San Francisco 49ers season was their 39th season in the National Football League. The season was highlighted by their second Super Bowl victory. The franchise had their best season ever with a record of 15 wins and only 1 loss... |
1984 1984 NFL season The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana.... |
15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 1st in NFC West | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl XIX Super Bowl XIX Super Bowl XIX was an American football game played on January 20, 1985 at Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1984 regular season... Champions. |
||
| SF 1985 San Francisco 49ers season The 1985 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 36th year with the National Football League. Roger Craig achieved the rare feat of having both 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season... |
1985 1985 NFL season The 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.-Major rule changes:... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd in NFC West | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... in NFC Wild-Card Game NFL playoffs, 1985-86 The NFL playoffs following the 1985 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XX.Because the Jets and Giants both used Giants Stadium as their home field, the two wild card playoff games were held on different days.-AFC: New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 14:... . |
||
| SF 1986 San Francisco 49ers season The 1986 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 37th year with the National Football League.-Staff:-Schedule:-NFC Divisional Playoff:* San Francisco 49ers 3, New York Giants 49... |
1986 1986 NFL season The 1986 NFL season was the 67th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXI when the New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first league title in 30 years.-Major rule changes:... |
10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | 1st in NFC West | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... in NFC Divisional Game NFL playoffs, 1986-87 The NFL playoffs following the 1986 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXI.Note: As per the rules of the NFL playoffs prior to the 1990 season , the New York Giants did not play the Washington Redskins in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.-AFC: New York Jets... . |
||
| SF 1987 San Francisco 49ers season The 1987 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 38th year with the National Football League. In the offseason, the 49ers acquired Steve Young in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers... |
1987 1987 NFL season The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players... |
13 | 2 | 0 | .867 | 1st in NFC West | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... in NFC Divisional Game NFL playoffs, 1987-88 The NFL playoffs following the 1987 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXII.-NFC: Minnesota Vikings 44, New Orleans Saints 10:In the Saints' first playoff game in history, the Vikings dominated the game by recording 2 sacks, forcing 4 turnovers, and allowing only 149 yards... . |
||
| SF 1988 San Francisco 49ers season The San Francisco 49ers 1988 season was their 43rd season in the National Football League. The season was highlighted by their third Super Bowl victory. In 1988, the 49ers struggled. At one point, they were 6-5 and in danger of missing the playoffs but rose to defeat the Washington Redskins on a... |
1988 1988 NFL season The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division.... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in NFC West | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl XXIII Super Bowl XXIII Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1988 regular season. This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held... Champions. |
||
| SF Total | 92 | 59 | 1 | .609 | 10 | 4 | .714 | |||||
| Total | 92 | 59 | 1 | .609 | 10 | 4 | .714 | |||||
Later career
Super Bowl XXIII
Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1988 regular season. This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held...
, Walsh went to work as a broadcaster for NBC
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
(teaming with Dick Enberg
Dick Enberg
Richard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
to form the lead broadcasting team while replacing Merlin Olsen
Merlin Olsen
Merlin Jay Olsen was an American football player in the National Football League, NFL commentator, and actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews...
in the booth). Walsh returned to Stanford once again as head coach in 1992 (Bob Trumpy
Bob Trumpy
Bob Trumpy is a former professional American Football tight end who played for the American Football League's Cincinnati Bengals from 1968 to 1969, and for the NFL Bengals from 1970 through 1977...
subsequently replaced him on the NBC telecasts), leading the Cardinal to a 10-3 record and a Pacific-10 Conference co-championship. Stanford finished the season with an upset victory over Penn State in the Blockbuster Bowl on January 1, 1993 and a # 9 ranking in the final AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
. In 1994, after consecutive losing seasons, Walsh left Stanford and retired from coaching.
Walsh would also return to the 49ers, serving as Vice President and General Manager from 1999
1999 San Francisco 49ers season
The 1999 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 50th year with the National Football League. This would also be Steve Young's last season as he was forced to retire due to a concussion.-Schedule:-References:* *...
to 2001
2001 San Francisco 49ers season
-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-NFC Wild Card - January 13, 2002:*Green Bay Packers 25, San Francisco 49ers 15at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI-Milestones:*Jeff Garcia named to second consecutive Pro Bowl...
and was a special consultant to the team for three years afterwards. In 2004, Walsh was appointed as special assistant to the athletic director at Stanford. In 2005, after then-athletic director Ted Leland stepped down to take a position at the University of the Pacific, Walsh was named interim athletic director. He also acted as a consultant for his alma mater San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
in their search for an Athletic Director and Head Football Coach in 2005.
Bill Walsh was also the author of three books, a motivational speaker, and taught classes at the Stanford Graduate School of Business
Stanford Graduate School of Business
The Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of the professional schools of Stanford University, in Stanford, California and is broadly regarded as one of the best business schools in the world.The Stanford GSB offers a general management Master of Business Administration degree, the Sloan...
.
Illness
Walsh was diagnosed with leukemiaLeukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
in 2004. In November 2006, he confirmed that he was undergoing treatment for the illness at the Stanford University Medical Center
Stanford University Medical Center
Stanford University Medical Center represents the Stanford Hospital and the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and is located at 300 Pasteur Drive in Stanford, California. Stanford Hospital provides both general acute care services and tertiary medical care for patients locally, nationally and...
.
Death
Bill Walsh died of leukemia at 10:45 am on July 30, 2007, at his home in Woodside, CaliforniaWoodside, California
Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It uses a council-manager system of government. The U.S. Census estimated the population of the town to be 5,287 in 2010....
. Following Walsh's death, the playing field at Candlestick Park
Monster Park
Candlestick Park is an outdoor sports and entertainment stadium located in San Francisco, California, in the Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally built as the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 until moving into Pacific Bell Park in 2000...
was renamed "Bill Walsh Field". Additionally, the regular San Jose State
San José State Spartans Football
The San Jose State Spartans represent San Jose State University and the Silicon Valley in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The Spartans play all home games in Spartan Stadium, which offers a seating capacity of over 30,000...
versus Stanford football game was renamed the "Bill Walsh Legacy Game".
Family
Bill Walsh is survived by his wife Geri, his son Craig and his daughter Elizabeth. Walsh also lost a son, Steve, in 2002.Books
- Bill Walsh and Glenn Dickey, Building a Champion: On Football and the Making of the 49ers. St Martin's Press, 1990. (ISBN 0-312-04969-2).
- Bill Walsh, Brian Billick and James A. Peterson, Finding the Winning Edge. Sports Publishing, 1998. (ISBN 1-571-67172-2).
- Bill Walsh with Steve Jamison and Craig Walsh, The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership. Penguin Group Publishing, 2009 (ISBN 978-1-59184-266-8).